Pakistani consulate in Herat suspends service amid coronavirus threat

In this file photo, Afghan security personnel stand guard in front of the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on May 10, 2016. (AFP)

• The consulate will suspend services for at least two weeks, starting Sunday
• Emergency was declared in Herat after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on Feb. 24

PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul will temporarily shut its consulate in Herat on Sunday over coronavirus threats in the Afghan province bordering Iran, officials confirmed to Arab News.
“We will keep our consulate in Herat shut temporarily for 15 days, effective from March 8,” Muhammad Hassan Wazir, deputy chief of mission at Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul, said on Thursday. He added that the ongoing coronavirus crisis in Iran had prompted the decision.
According to reports on Thursday, Pakistan itself has already recorded six infections since the first one was confirmed last week.
The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul said in a statement that it “would continue to monitor the situation and would consult with Afghan government before taking a decision on resumption of visa services.”
Hikmat Safi, adviser to Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), confirmed that Pakistan had announced the closure of its consulate in Herat, as Afghan authorities suspect 80 persons might have contracted the disease.
The persons returned from neighboring Iran, where 3,513 cases and 107 deaths have been reported.
Safi said the situation is expected to become more complicated as Iran started to deport Afghan refugees.
“The move to close the Herat consulate will only multiply problems of Afghans, seeking Pakistani visas. Officials of the two countries should adopt other preemptive measures to counter the fast-spreading virus instead of closing the consulate,” Safi said.
A state of emergency was declared in Herat after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on Feb. 24.